Let’s talk about puberty. What is the first thing that comes into our minds when we say puberty? Well, sex is the most common thought that pops out from the head of many people. But there is much more than sex to puberty. Puberty is a very unique and important evolving stage of all males and females.

During puberty, guys and girls go through many changes that we might find funny, scary and weird. During puberty, the level of testosterone and estrogen in both boys and girls increases greatly. The rapid increase of testosterone and estrogen is what triggers the beginning of puberty. Now lets give the changes that boys and girls experience during puberty.

During puberty, some changes happen only to girls, and some happen only to boys. What type of changes can are expected to happen to girls? First of all, the girl’s breasts will begin to grow and get fuller. Sometimes, one breast may grow faster than the other. Some girls' breasts grow more rapidly than other girl’s. Some girls' breasts remain small throughout their adult lives. Also during puberty, the girl’s hips will get rounder, and their waist will get smaller. Some girls begin to shave their legs and under their armpits. Puberty also means that a girl will soon begin menstruating or having her period. This is one of the most significant changes a girl goes through during puberty. What happens during a girl’s period? Girls have two ovaries. Each ovary holds tons and tons of tiny eggs. About once a month, an ovary releases one egg. This is called ovulation. The egg moves through one of two Fallopian tubes toward the uterus. The uterus begins creating a wall made up of tissues and blood. Most of the times, the egg breaks apart before it reaches the uterus. When the egg breaks apart, the lining of tissue and blood isn't needed anymore. It flows out of the uterus, through the cervix, through the vagina, and out of the body. This is called menstrual flow. Those are several of the changes that happen to females during puberty.

Now is the turn to talk about the changes that happen to boys during puberty. Boys that are getting near to puberty are going to experience changes in their bodies and the way they look at the world around them. These are several of the changes they will experience during puberty. The sudden growth of reproductive organs will start. The penis, testes (testicles), and scrotum will start getting larger and bigger. The first ejaculation occurs about one year after puberty begins. This indicates that a boy is producing sperm and he is capable of reproduction. The production sperm will begin at this moment and will generally continue throughout most of their life. Different parts of your body will start growing. Such as arms, legs, and penis grow. A regular boy will experience three to five inches of growth in height within a year's time. The voice begins to deepen as a result of internal growth of the larynx (voice box). The appearance of pubic hair begins to show. Long strands of straight pubic hair appear at the base of the penis, then spread all over the scrotum and up the abdomen. The beard develops and the voice deepens. These indicators of sexual maturity are usually the last changes to appear.

Well these are the most noticeable changes that both males and females go through puberty. Hopefully you have become more aware of these changes and will not be freak out if this happens to you.

Bibliography

King, Bruce M. (1999). Human Sexuality Today ( 4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice

Hall.

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